At the Georgetown Game Today

[InKembaITrust]

This was my first time seeing the team live this season.

I was at this same game last year and there was about half the amount of people present last year than today.

Tristan is the best on the team at drawing fouls. Should've gotten more calls this game, Hurley was pisssssed for one of the missed calls in the first half, barking at the baseline ref at the opposite end of the court.

AJ's rebounding is so understated. It's very different seeing how high he gets on defensive rebounds live than on TV. Game-changing.

Loved seeing our three best players each have nasty dunks.

Awesome to get a LOUD "Let's go huskies!" chant at an away game. Fanbase continues to travel well.

The moment Clingan learns how to build good habits with avoiding cheap defensive fouls is when he'll become as close to an unstoppable college basketball player as there is.

Loved watching Hurley's energy on the sideline. Pretty evident he ramped up his energy level compared to recent games.

Hassan and Naheim looked lost out there. They're really hurting our depth at this point.

Overall, great game and happy I decided to attend.

 

[USNavyDog]

This was my first time seeing the team live this season.

I was at this same game last year and there was about half the amount of people present last year than today.

Tristan is the best on the team at drawing fouls. Should've gotten more calls this game, Hurley was pisssssed for one of the missed calls in the first half, barking at the baseline ref at the opposite end of the court.

AJ's rebounding is so understated. It's very different seeing how high he gets on defensive rebounds live than on TV. Game-changing.

Loved seeing our three best players each have nasty dunks.

Awesome to get a LOUD "Let's go huskies!" chant at an away game. Fanbase continues to travel well.

The moment Clingan learns how to build good habits with avoiding cheap defensive fouls is when he'll become as close to an unstoppable college basketball player as there is.

Loved watching Hurley's energy on the sideline. Pretty evident he ramped up his energy level compared to recent games.

Hassan and Naheim looked lost out there. They're really hurting our depth at this point.

Overall, great game and happy I decided to attend.

I'd like to see A.J. come back next year as a senior because he seems to be good at almost everything (athleticism, defense, rebounding, passing, leadership, etc.)....but his offense seems to need some work. If he polishes up his offensive game a bit more he could be a top 3 lottery pick next year.

 

[InKembaITrust]

I'd like to see A.J. come back next year as a senior because he seems to be good at almost everything (athleticism, defense, rebounding, passing, leadership, etc.)....but his offense seems to need some work. If he polishes up his offensive game a bit more he could be a top 3 lottery pick next year.

I've thought long and hard about who I'd compare AJ to in the NBA. I know this player is a future hall of famer, MVP, etc., so strictly based on their playing styles, I'd say he's a taller Russel Westbrook.

Elite athleticism, stat-stuffer, extremely competitive, excellent court vision, above-average rebounder at their position, and more times than not simply beat you with their effort alone. Their downfalls are both have historically struggled with their jump shot and regularly play too fast/at one pace.

Hope he comes back too. I've said it once I'll say it again, favorite husky since Kemba.

 

[ucp990411]

I'd like to see A.J. come back next year as a senior because he seems to be good at almost everything (athleticism, defense, rebounding, passing, leadership, etc.)....but his offense seems to need some work. If he polishes up his offensive game a bit more he could be a top 3 lottery pick next year.

Holy cow.

 

[PAHusky]

I've thought long and hard about who I'd compare AJ to in the NBA. I know this player is a future hall of famer, MVP, etc., so strictly based on their playing styles, I'd say he's a taller Russel Westbrook.

Elite athleticism, stat-stuffer, extremely competitive, excellent court vision, above-average rebounder at their position, and more times than not simply beat you with their effort alone. Their downfalls are both have historically struggled with their jump shot and regularly play too fast/at one pace.

Hope he comes back too. I've said it once I'll say it again, favorite husky since Kemba.

But Westbrook is at least a passable shooter and attacks the rim, and he’s an ok but not amazing passer, so I’d argue they’re not really alike.

Jackson is Ben Simmons before Simmons gave up, with a worse offensive game somehow. He’s bouncier than Simmons but Simmons is bigger so about equal. Both are divine passes and good on ball defenders. But even Simmons could shoot jumpers from 12 feet instead of one handed push shots.

Jackson won’t be a first round pick, let alone a top three pick, unless he makes huge strides in his shot. It’s a disservice to how great he can be as a player if he doesn’t at least try to break it down and totally revamp it this off-season.

 

[runner11]

I've thought long and hard about who I'd compare AJ to in the NBA. I know this player is a future hall of famer, MVP, etc., so strictly based on their playing styles, I'd say he's a taller Russel Westbrook.

Elite athleticism, stat-stuffer, extremely competitive, excellent court vision, above-average rebounder at their position, and more times than not simply beat you with their effort alone. Their downfalls are both have historically struggled with their jump shot and regularly play too fast/at one pace.

Hope he comes back too. I've said it once I'll say it again, favorite husky since Kemba.

You can find similarities but one guys biggest strength is the other guys biggest weakness so it’s a non starter imo.

I'd like to see A.J. come back next year as a senior because he seems to be good at almost everything (athleticism, defense, rebounding, passing, leadership, etc.)....but his offense seems to need some work. If he polishes up his offensive game a bit more he could be a top 3 lottery pick next year.

AJ was quoted earlier this year saying he made a 4 year commitment to the uni.

 

[BGesus4]

It is definitely true that live it’s startling how much of the court Jackson covers. He is all over the place and no one else is even close.

Can someone please put in a call to Chris brickley?? The guy is too talented to be a couple pieces away from a long nba career

 

[InKembaITrust]

But Westbrook is at least a passable shooter and attacks the rim, and he’s an ok but not amazing passer, so I’d argue they’re not really alike.

Jackson is Ben Simmons before Simmons gave up, with a worse offensive game somehow. He’s bouncier than Simmons but Simmons is bigger so about equal. Both are divine passes and good on ball defenders. But even Simmons could shoot jumpers from 12 feet instead of one handed push shots.

Jackson won’t be a first round pick, let alone a top three pick, unless he makes huge strides in his shot. It’s a disservice to how great he can be as a player if he doesn’t at least try to break it down and totally revamp it this off-season.

I respectfully disagree. For his career, Westbrook is averaging 8 1/2 assists and has averaged over 10 assists for 5 seasons. He is an ELITE passer.

He's also a career 30% three-point shooter and has oddly regressed as a shooter in recent years. Just watch a single Laker game this year. Every team sags off of him when he's at the 3 pt line, just like AJ.

 

[ManFromOZ]

I'd like to see A.J. come back next year as a senior because he seems to be good at almost everything (athleticism, defense, rebounding, passing, leadership, etc.)....but his offense seems to need some work. If he polishes up his offensive game a bit more he could be a top 3 lottery pick next year.

Dude - a top 3 lottery pick is heady stuff. Teams are just daring him to shoot. His form is all off. Really good in other aspects of the game but in the Association it is all about shooting. He has one component of a 3 and D player - the defense. The ability to create his own shot is suspect. Appreciate what he is.

 

[Chin Diesel]

Best part of the game watching on TV was when UConn fans started some UConn chants in the second half. Easily heard on TV.

Later in the second half coming out of a timeout the announcer or MC had to start a "Let's Go Hoyas" chant over the mic to make sure the UConn cheers weren't heard. Of course, as soon as he went off the loudspeakers the arean went back to being dead.

 

[Dogdeacon]

But Westbrook is at least a passable shooter and attacks the rim, and he’s an ok but not amazing passer, so I’d argue they’re not really alike.

Jackson is Ben Simmons before Simmons gave up, with a worse offensive game somehow. He’s bouncier than Simmons but Simmons is bigger so about equal. Both are divine passes and good on ball defenders. But even Simmons could shoot jumpers from 12 feet instead of one handed push shots.

Jackson won’t be a first round pick, let alone a top three pick, unless he makes huge strides in his shot. It’s a disservice to how great he can be as a player if he doesn’t at least try to break it down and totally revamp it this off-season.

At this point the best comp might be Dennis Rodman. Pre-Bulls Rodman was a quiet guy and a great team player like AJax is. His aversion to scoring stayed constant and he was a prolific rebounder and versatile defender. Rodman better than AJ at defending bigs, AJ better at defending guards. Don't think flashy 6-hair color Rodman, think Detroit Pistons version.

Regardless put me in the 4yrs of college for AJ camp. If UConn had remained a top-5 team all year AJ had a chance to ride that into the first round. He will be able to do that next year with the recruiting class coming. Very happy to continue to watch him play and develop.

 

[Icehawk]

@Dogdeacon - I've asked that before since I'm not knowledgeable about NBA but Rodman seems to be the closest comp - would Rodman get drafted/play today?

 

[Scottobot]

I would compare Andre to a Draymond Green. Draymond rebounds, defends, and passes well, but can’t shoot.

 

[PAHusky]

If Jackson doesn’t

I respectfully disagree. For his career, Westbrook is averaging 8 1/2 assists and has averaged over 10 assists for 5 seasons. He is an ELITE passer.

He's also a career 30% three-point shooter and has oddly regressed as a shooter in recent years. Just watch a single Laker game this year. Every team sags off of him when he's at the 3 pt line, just like AJ.

Westbrook can do what he does because he attacks the rim well. "Shooter" in this sense is probably better defined as "scorer". Jackson isn't even a threat to lay the ball in. His jump shot is nowhere near as good as Westbrook's, whose pull up game was lethal for years. He's regressed as a shooter because he can't get to the rim at the same clip as he used to (defense not giving him space) and he's losing his legs. His passing was never elite, he got a ton of assists because he could break defenses down with the threat of getting to the rim at will and then dump it off to some very talented players/pick and roll partners.

 

[PAHusky]

At this point the best comp might be Dennis Rodman. Pre-Bulls Rodman was a quiet guy and a great team player like AJax is. His aversion to scoring stayed constant and he was a prolific rebounder and versatile defender. Rodman better than AJ at defending bigs, AJ better at defending guards. Don't think flashy 6-hair color Rodman, think Detroit Pistons version.

Regardless put me in the 4yrs of college for AJ camp. If UConn had remained a top-5 team all year AJ had a chance to ride that into the first round. He will be able to do that next year with the recruiting class coming. Very happy to continue to watch him play and develop.

Unless a team takes a huge, huge risk on him, Jackson isn't going in the first round unless and until he fixes his jump shot. You don't need a perfect J to play in the NBA if you bring all of the other skills Jackson does to the table, but he can't score at all right now from any level, and his set shot 3 pointer isn't cutting it in the NBA.

I love what Jackson brings to UConn, and I hope he comes back and shines next year. Any talk of him getting drafted top 3/in the first round is crazy unless he can show he's not a total black hole scoring wise. You can't play 4 v 5 offensively in the NBA with your wing being the guy who can't shoot. 95% of NBA centers are better shooters than he is right now.

 

[Scottobot]

Andre getting drafted in top 3 picks is delusional. To get drafted anywhere in first round he would need to come back senior year and show remarkable improvement to jump shot form, FG %, and lead team to deep ncaa run.
He wasn’t a McDonalds All American coming out of high school, which by itself is probably enough to disqualify him from top 3 pick.
Remember Deandre Daniel’s who helped lead UConn to championship in 2014? 6’-9 could score inside and out, rebound, defend.. Pure shooting form … scored 36 points against Iowa St in regional to carry UConn.
He got drafted in 2nd round in the 40s. It is very hard to get drafted in 1st round.
Comparisons to Westbrook are also delusional. Russell scored over 50 points in an NBA game several times.

 

[DFW HOYA]

Best part of the game watching on TV was when UConn fans started some UConn chants in the second half. Easily heard on TV.

Later in the second half coming out of a timeout the announcer or MC had to start a "Let's Go Hoyas" chant over the mic to make sure the UConn cheers weren't heard. Of course, as soon as he went off the loudspeakers the arean went back to being dead.

People outside Washington can't imagine how much the Georgetown fan base is burned out.

 

[Peacefrog]

What on earth does being a McDonald’s All American in high school have to do with getting drafted in the NBA? Relevance your honor?

It is delusional to think he can be drafted in the top 3 however.

 

[InKembaITrust]

If Jackson doesn’t

Westbrook can do what he does because he attacks the rim well. "Shooter" in this sense is probably better defined as "scorer". Jackson isn't even a threat to lay the ball in. His jump shot is nowhere near as good as Westbrook's, whose pull up game was lethal for years. He's regressed as a shooter because he can't get to the rim at the same clip as he used to (defense not giving him space) and he's losing his legs. His passing was never elite, he got a ton of assists because he could break defenses down with the threat of getting to the rim at will and then dump it off to some very talented players/pick and roll partners.

Again, agree to disagree.

You're not in the top 10 all-time assist leaders in the NBA if you're not an elite passer.

 

[Scottobot]

What on earth does being a McDonald’s All American in high school have to do with getting drafted in the NBA? Relevance your honor?

It is delusional to think he can be drafted in the top 3 however.

Almost all of the lottery picks that played high school in US, are top 25 recruits coming out of high school. That cohort of players have been monitored by NBA scouts throughout all of high school. Generally making that list means you have a high ceiling. It is a stamp of approval that NBA scouts want. There are of course exceptions for late bloomers And people the scouts missed, but it is an uphill battle to be a lottery pick, especially a top 7 if you missed that accolade coming out of high school.

 

[PAHusky]

Again, agree to disagree.

You're not in the top 10 all-time assist leaders in the NBA if you're not an elite passer.

Fair, but even granting that he's a good passer.....that's where the similarities in their games begins and ends.

 

[InKembaITrust]

Fair, but even granting that he's a good passer.....that's where the similarities in their games begins and ends.

Again to the again, agree to disagree for the original reasons I outlined.

 

[Peacefrog]

Almost all of the lottery picks that played high school in US, are top 25 recruits coming out of high school. That cohort of players have been monitored by NBA scouts throughout all of high school. Generally making that list means you have a high ceiling. It is a stamp of approval that NBA scouts want. There are of course exceptions for late bloomers And people the scouts missed, but it is an uphill battle to be a lottery pick, especially a top 7 if you missed that accolade coming out of high school.

With more recent and relevant college performance with which to make evaluations do you really think NBA scouts care a whit about some high school award? I don't.

 

[Scottobot]

With more recent and relevant college performance with which to make evaluations do you really think NBA scouts care a whit about some high school award? I don't.

I do think they care. Look at 2021 NBA Draft
1. Cade Cunningham
2. Jalen Green
3. Evan Mobley
4.Scottie Barnes
5. Jalen Suggs.

Now compare that with ESPNU 100 and look at 5 topped ranked recruits coming out of high school … Same 5 guys in different order.

Last year Chet Holmgren number 2 pick after pretty mediocre freshman campaign at Gonzaga.

The NBA drafts for potential, not who played the best in college.

 

[Scottobot]

Cam Whitmore of Villanova currently projected to go #8 in draft, even though he has done little to help an anemic Villanova team.

 

[Peacefrog]

I do think they care. Look at 2021 NBA Draft
1. Cade Cunningham
2. Jalen Green
3. Evan Mobley
4.Scottie Barnes
5. Jalen Suggs.

Now compare that with ESPNU 100 and look at 5 topped ranked recruits coming out of high school … Same 5 guys in different order.

Last year Chet Holmgren number 2 pick after pretty mediocre freshman campaign at Gonzaga.

The NBA drafts for potential, not who played the best in college.

Well, you've changed things up a couple times now. At one point you're talking about top 3 pick and others its lottery pick. You started by insisting that being a MCD AA is critical and now you're talking about ranking instead (yeah, I get there is correlation there). Agree to disagree I guess. I just don't see an NBA scout watching a college player and giving a hoot if he has a piece of paper saying he won a particular high school award. That's like an employer considering a new college grad and ignoring their collegiate body of work and focusing on their SAT score. Which do you think is a better indicator of how they will perform in the workplace?

Scout's notes: Player X versus high major school Y

Exhibits excellent athleticism and shows great range beyond the arc. Scores at all three levels and is strong defensively. Rebounds well for his position. Plays with confidence and shows leadership, consider top first round pick. Oh wait, never mind, I see here he wasn't on the McDonald's All American team.

Sure they draft on potential, what I'm saying is that what a player exhibits playing college ball is a much better indicator of their ceiling than having been selected for some quasi-political high school award team. Take Holmgren for example, despite being a MCD, there might have been questions about his potential vis-a-vis strength coming out of high school. He held up well in college and its that potential on which he was drafted. IMO, if scouts are placing more weight on whether or not someone was on the MCD team, that is professional malpractice.

You can have the last word on this one if you like, it doesn't seem like we're going to change the other's mind.

 

[PAHusky]

Again to the again, agree to disagree for the original reasons I outlined.

Right but none of those reasons are correct. Westbrook is ten thousand times the bucket getter Jackson is. Russ is a very good rebounder for his position; Jackson is an ok rebounder but nothing amazing for a wing. I guess they're both athletic and make hustle and boneheaded plays in equal measure? They're just nothing alike as players at all. Jackson is more like Zach Levine mixed with Ricky Rubio minus any sort of scoring prowess.

 

[PAHusky]

I would compare Andre to a Draymond Green. Draymond rebounds, defends, and passes well, but can’t shoot.

It's a pretty decent comp, though AJax is a thousand times the athlete Draymond is but Draymond has a much, much higher bball IQ.

Wonder what the difference in their size is. Draymond is lucky that he's a little bigger - playing him at center masks his offensive liabilities and lets the other aspects of his game shine. Shame we can't play AJax as a small ball five.